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d.light: Bright ideas for ESG
Images courtesy of d.light
ESG is embedded in d.light’s business model — from its solar lighting solutions and financial inclusion initiatives to the way it procures its goods and services.
Back in 2006 when d.light was founded, its mission was to eradicate kerosene in favour of renewable energy that was sustainable, longer lasting and more environmentally friendly. “It was also about ensuring that people at the base of the socio-economic pyramid who do not have access to the same opportunities are able to enjoy the freedoms that come with renewable energy,” explains d.light’s Director of Marketing Anshul Gaur.
Fast-forward to 2022 and the scope of the company’s mission has evolved from providing access to solar energy to enabling transformation in a much broader sense. Anshul says: “Our founding mission was positively to impact 100 million lives, now we are aspiring to take the next big leap, transforming a billion lives by 2030.”
Today d.light operates in 70 countries, with B2C operations concentrated in Asia — primarily India — and Africa in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Nigeria, and a corporate office in California. Its portfolio has expanded from one product in India to a range of lanterns and solar-powered systems that can run appliances such as television, fans, and refrigerators. The company has also expanded into selling financed smartphones to allow customers to access the Internet and promote digital literacy.
While its products are engineered for positive environmental and social impact, the business is also working hard to ensure sustainable practice is embedded in every part of its business. ESG Manager Brendah Onnungah explains, “On the environmental side, d.light is committed to achieving environmental excellence in its operations by considering the entire lifecycle of products. We have developed an e-waste management plan to aid in the safe disposal and sustainable recycling of products when they reach the end of their life cycle. This is done through licensed e-waste processors.
“And on the social side, d.light strives to ensure its business practices do not have a negative impact but foster positive impact on people. Our focus on supply chain is to ensure we work with our suppliers and contractors for greater transparency and to raise their awareness of the importance of sustainable practice, health and safety, and human rights. We strive to communicate our expectations of them and to build their capacity to meet those expectations.”
“Our social mission does not just manifest in our product, it permeates our entire business, and that has created a lot of goodwill with our customers. ”
Anshul Gaur, Director of Marketing, d.light
Making life brighter
How will d.light’s mission evolve further over the next decade? Anshul cites three big opportunities: extending into new geographies, expanding the ecosystem around its existing product base, and aiming at new market segments — namely underserved grid populations. “There is an opportunity in populations where the quality of grid access is not very good,” he says, pointing to India as an example. “Markets which have a large off-grid population also seemingly have a large bad-grid population. Nigeria is probably the largest consumer of dirty fuel generators in the world. There are over 200 million people living there but access to reliable grid is restricted to the few.”
d.light’s biggest challenges relate to unpredictable macro forces, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine impacting the supply chain and an unstable regulatory environment in emerging markets. “Products that were duty-free and VAT-free can suddenly be slapped with a 16-25% tax. That has a huge impact on the value chain, the end pricing you’re able to offer — and ultimately on demand and how well these products penetrate our markets,” says Anshul.
Despite these hurdles, innovation, research and a promise of quality both in the product and the distribution network allow the company to keep moving forward, says Anshul. “The customer is at the heart of our innovation engine and our pay-as-you-go business model has ensured that affordability has never been a barrier to clean energy,” he says.
“The d.light team are true innovators, developing products, services and ways of working designed to tackle some of the world’s most complex and pressing challenges. It is a privilege to support them in their mission.”
Paul Kay, Partner, Banking & Finance, Charles Russell Speechlys
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